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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26167780">idiot love will spark the fusion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thr_eads/pseuds/thr_eads'>thr_eads</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Marriage, Proposals, baby harry is so cute, because fuck canon rights, enjoy, honestly they all deserved so much better, really this is just me being self indulgent, so here they got what they deserved, the marauders are alive, there's literally no angst, you get the gist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:14:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,380</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26167780</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thr_eads/pseuds/thr_eads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanting to marry Sirius Black was like having a crush all over again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Mary Macdonald/Dorcas Meadowes, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>123</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>idiot love will spark the fusion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <i>Love is careless in its choosing,</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Sweeping over cross and baby.</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>Love descends on those defenseless;</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>Idiot love will spark the fusion!</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>Inspirations, have I none</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>Just to touch the flaming dove?</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>All I have is my love of love</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>And love is not loving.</i></p><p> </p><p>- Bowie, David "Soul Love." The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Wanting to marry Sirius Black was like having a crush all over again. </p><p>Because, thought Remus irritably, slamming the thick muggle catalogue closed, here he was at the well-ripened age of twenty-four, meandering through London’s jewellery stores and asking himself the same questions he had when he’d been fifteen and smitten: <i> Does he like me that way? What if he doesn’t feel the same? Oh, why can’t I just kiss him and say it? </i> </p><p>But it was much worse now, because Remus was no longer in black robes and a scarlet-golden tie — he was in a green sweater and corduroy pants, and he knew how fucking stupid he sounded. Because no matter how many rom-com movies he watched he couldn’t make sense of how to just do it — to smile easily, get down on one knee, and just —</p><p>“Sir? May I help you any further?” Remus jumped and his hand streaked towards his wand before he realised that he’d been in a fucking line and the jewellery girl was looking at him like he was slightly deranged. When he glanced behind him, a greying, pudgy woman brandished her fist at him. Ears burning in embarrassment, Remus left the store with his hands in his pockets. </p><p> <i>I could ask James, </i> he thought stupidly, dodging a happy teenage couple that were swinging their arms and grinning at one another. <i> James had still looked like those two when he proposed. He must be an expert. </i> </p><p>But when his mind cleared, he felt bad about the spike of jealousy, because James Potter was an idiot, and Lily had spent so much time with him that she’d caught some of it. Remus and Sirius weren’t like James and Lily, they weren’t adorable-stupid-fool and motherly-wonderful-daring. </p><p>Their love was a string of surprises that never ended. Their love was Sirius owling him at four AM because they were leaving for Spain in the morning and 'don’t argue, Moony xx', their love was Sirius staying up all night charming Remus’ glasses to grow with him as a wolf so that he didn’t knock into a tree again. It was Remus renting every single biker movie ever so that Sirius could “learn of his own culture” and then not finishing any of them because the bikers were hot and Sirius was right there.  </p><p>If Remus just lived for every absurd, gorgeous thing they did for one another, then he had to come up with some mind-blowing rings, and an equally as mind-blowing proposal, and an even more mind-blowing honeymoon, because Padfoot worked so hard as a curse-breaker and he still spared so much time for Remus, and all he deserved was perfection. </p><p>Remus didn’t want to disrespect his boyfriend’s dramatic ass by coming up with a subpar proposal. And maybe he was terrified that Sirius would scoff and toss his beautiful hair to the right and say: </p><p>“Why get married, Moony? Are you old and greying? It’s so boring! You’re not sexy anymore. I’m going to hop my beautiful arse on my beautiful bike and fly away now.”</p><p>Remus entered the last jewellery shop in London reeling from his own imagined rejection. It was empty, and the walls were cyan and mottled with grey flecks like someone had tried to flick paint on them artfully and ended up with a messy disappointment. Remus had a wild thought that this was the perfect store for him. </p><p>He was right. </p><p>He stuffed the brown paper bag into his jacket like someone’s paranoid great-aunt (“Are you old and greying?” repeated Padfoot’s silky, derisive voice in his head) and Apparated to his suburban apartment building. It was in a muggle area, which was quite refreshing, but truth be told, he’d only gotten it because there was an animal shelter nearby and Sirius loved to use his house as a base from which he visited rescued dogs and played with them. (Like, with them. He’d turn into Padfoot while Remus stroked his chin and chatted with the employees, and he’d run around the yard and sniff the dogs’ asses and play catch with them. And he’d look so damn happy, even if it was as strange as it was adorable. But then again, Remus was the last person who should be complaining about anyone's canine tendencies, let alone his lovers.</p><p>Remus smiles at the memory as he manages to wandlessly Accio his key from wherever it had been hiding among his pockets of dust bunnies and gum packets. He entered his apartment already toeing off his stupid dress shoes, and hurriying to safely put the bag on the table. He turned around and took two steps towards the hot press to find a clean towel for a shower, only to immediately rush back to the table and unroll the top of the rapidly deteriorating paper bag.</p><p>He paused as his hand closed around the velvety blue box — blue, Sirius’ favourite colour besides red and gold and “specifically the green-y brown of your eyes, Moony, because otherwise green and brown are terrible” — and he pursed his lips for a second. </p><p>Wouldn’t Sirius prefer it if none of this was planned out? Nothing about his life had ever come with forewarning — his sorting into Gryffindor, that one time he’d punched James, his impromptu obsession with tattoos and lip rings and bikes in sixth year — and for the most part, Sirius preferred it that way. He lived off daring-to-do, being careless, stupid-but-really-sexy hyperfixations. What if he wanted Remus to turn up at his doorstep and scream a proposal? Remus dropped the box back into the bag and clutched his head. What if Sirius had wanted Remus to do that for years? What if he’d been in the same mindset as Mr. and Mrs. Prongs — live fast, love fast, get married fast, have a Harry fast — </p><p>“Oh, how am I a Gryffindor?” wailed Remus into the dark-blue depths of his house. </p><p>“What? I dunno, because a noble hat deemed you fit for the best house?” </p><p>Remus froze, and he expected rather than felt the blush that bloomed over his chest, up his neck and around his ears. </p><p>“Padfoot,” he monotoned, tapping the bag with a Disillusionment charm and levitating it onto a chair. “How long have you been here?” </p><p>“The portkey arrived back a couple hours ago, but my house was cold and Moony-less, so I came here for a nap.”</p><p>There was the soft patter of bare feet across the wooden floor before a pair of arms encircled his waist and a warm weight settled itself at Remus’ back. </p><p>“Hi, Moonshine,” whispered Sirius Black tiredly, and Remus found himself grinning through his current predicament. Because this was his favourite Padfoot — sleepy Padfoot. </p><p>Sleepy Padfoot had no thoughts for appearances. He relaxed into a posh posture and fancy accent (because that was his natural state and he worked against it on the daily), and he didn’t drawl, he hummed and murmured, and he was just so cuddly.</p><p>Overcome with fondness, Remus momentarily detached himself from Sirius’ loose embrace and turned to hug him fully. He was in a loose cotton tee and Remus’ (sadly unused) jogging sweats, and his hair was in a bun that was a tug away from falling apart. </p><p>“Good evening, Sir Black,” replied the brunette into his boyfriend’s wonderful soft hair. “How was Egypt?” </p><p>“Same as last time,” mused Sirius, but Remus could feel him grinning into his shoulder. “Bill’s getting rusty, you know. Sand in his joints.” </p><p>“Oh?” </p><p>“Yes, he got stuck on one of the vaults in the Giza network that had resealed itself. It had strengthened itself against previous attempts, so…” He huffed out a laugh that warmed Remus’ neck. “So he tried to turn it back it time with the emergency Turner. Almost got the bloody Locomotive charm wrong.” </p><p>“It’s tricky with time.” </p><p>“Of course it is. Of course, I got there in time to do the thing,” he waved his hand like Remus should know what the thing was, “And he treated me to tea and some wonderful Egyptian cookies afterwards. Fleur says hello.” </p><p>“I missed you very much, Padfoot.” </p><p>Sirius pulled back, worrying his lip between his teeth and making Remus feel stupid, wonderful things. “They used to worship wolves, you know. Anubis. Wepwapet.” His mouth curved around the syllables and Remus blinked against a tidal wave of desire. He swallowed and turned his face over to the kitchen wall. </p><p>“Is that so,” he tried helplessly. “I thought Anubis was a jackal?” </p><p>Sirius turned Remus’ face back towards him with two fingers, and Remus’ mouth went dry at the look in his eyes — it was hard to believe he’d been drowsy a minute earlier with the sudden sharpness in his gaze. Hot and flaring. It was hard to believe that for the millionth time that look was for Remus fucking Lupin. </p><p>“No,” he said decidedly. “They were actually from the wolf family. They worshipped wolves.” </p><p>Remus could worry about stupid, ickle things like marriage later. </p><p>---</p><p>“I know Moony’s hiding something,” yelled Sirius, tossing the ball up and then swinging around so the front of the broom hit it across the field to James, who caught it upside down because fuck flying normally, I do loop-de-loops. </p><p>“You think Luna’s finding fish? By god, if Xenophilius doesn’t play his cards right, he’ll lose his daughter to the ocean as he’s lost himself to the voices —” </p><p>“I SAID,” repeated Sirius hoarsely, realising a bit too late that James was four too many yards away from him to actually hear him clearly, “THAT I KNOW REMUS MOONY LUPIN IS HIDING SOMETHING FROM ME!”</p><p>“OH,” returned James, waving an arm around for some reason. “I HEARD YOU THIS TIME! WANTA TAKE A BREAK, PADFOOT?” </p><p>“SURE!” Sirius nearly fell off his broom when he started coughing on the dryness in his throat. Next time he’d fly a little closer before talking to Prongs while they were flying — he was sure his Nimbus 1993 could handle it. </p><p>A few minutes later, they were back inside the warm expanse of the Potter’s living room. Sirius loved his best mate’s estate — with it’s cosy half-mansion, half-bungalow, and it’s green, widespread fields that Sirius wished he’d grown up in rather than the drabby grey rooms of 12 Grimmauld Place. James’ only addition to the living room since he’d moved back in after the war had been a small boxy television — very similar to the one Moony had in his apartment.</p><p>Sirius’ cheeks went warm as he recalled yesterday nights proceedings there. </p><p>Lily broke him out of his reverie by entering with a tray of tea and cookies floating along beside her, a keening Harry on her hip. James, ever the gentleman, jumped out of his blanket and ran to sweep his son up into a hug, who laughed at his father and reached out, only to swipe the glasses off his face and stack them on top of his own. </p><p>Sirius, not nearly as good of a sport as his darker-skinned friend, unabashedly snorted into the mug Lily had handed him and nearly inhaled the burning liquid, sending him into another coughing fit. Lily sat primly on the couch and sipped her tea, watching her husband and basically-brother-in-law suffer.</p><p>Once calm had settled and Harry was gone again, racing his toy broomstick up and down the stairs and banging off the walls, Prongs promptly turned to Lily, who was sorting out a cushion that Sirius had ruined with spilt tea. His hands are wrapped tightly around his chipped yellow mug. “So, Padfoot thinks our Moony is hiding something big from him. Thoughts, darling?” </p><p>Sirius mimes gagging even though no one’s looking at him. </p><p>“He hasn’t told me anything — and even if he had, I wouldn’t tell you fools,” she smiled, setting the now creamy pillow back in its place. “If he’s hiding something from your duo, it’s for a reason. You’d muck it up.” </p><p>“Muck it up!” gasped Sirius, a trembling hand on his heart. “Me! Us,” he reiterated, when James sent him a nasty look. “We’d never do such a thing! Moony trusts me with his heart and soul — sorry mate, you can’t chip in on that one — and he knows I’d never willingly foil any plans he’s got going on!” </p><p>“You’re forgetting the window prank in fourth year,” grinned James, eager to clap back to Sirius’ earlier remark. “He trusted you to Disillusion them to make it look like dragons were flying around outside, but you just did a lady shaking her arse and got him detention for three months.”</p><p>“That was before he trusted me with his heart and soul,” Sirius sniffed, taking a proper sip of tea. “I had nothing to betray.” </p><p>Lily looked aghast. “You were the one behind the lady shaking her arse on our dorm’s windows?” </p><p>Harry chose that very moment to run into the room. He’d made brilliant use of a bright pink plastic bowl by putting it on his head and knighting it a helmet. “Shaking her arse! Shaking her arse!” </p><p>Sirius snorted into his mug again, breaking out into his third coughing fit of the day as James howled with laughter, falling back into the couch and burning his leg as the tea splashed into his lap. Lily had her head in her hands, shoulders shaking as she tried not to laugh too uninhibitedly. </p><p>Harry stared the lot of them down triumphantly. He had defeated them. </p><p>---</p><p>“Are they sure a school reunion is a good idea?” Remus wiped his hands off his apron and picked the letter up off the table for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. An attempt at an English breakfast was currently in session in Sirius’ kitchen, and for what he lacked in culinary skills, Sirius was making up for in enthusiasm.</p><p>With a particular enthusiasm in sausages, Remus was sure, since Sirius had made around fifteen sausages in the last twenty minutes — but they kept disappearing. </p><p>Sirius very nonchalantly swallowed the latest sausage before pursing his lips. “The reunion could be a great thing. People fell out with their friends during the war, lost contact with the people they loved because they were too afraid of bad news. This will bring us together.” </p><p>“Well, yes, but…” Remus worried at the paper, rubbing the ‘Dear Remus Lupin’ between two fingers until the ink blended into the paper. “There were thirty-five people in our year, Padfoot. I… don’t want a collective headcount of how many the war left alive.” </p><p>Sirius froze. He stayed that way for a couple of seconds, leaving Remus to worry about whether he could go into shock outside dog form. He jumped when Sirius spun on his heels, eyes wide and blazing. </p><p>“That’s also why we have to go, Moony! We can’t let the war ruin everything — our childhoods! Those people — they didn’t die so we could fear a return to normalcy. They died so we could live in happiness, and peace. Albus got Voldy, alright? He’s gone, and we can’t let him live on in our night-terrors. Moony,” he repeated, softly now, taking a few steps so he could stand before where Remus was wringing his hands and blinking fast. </p><p>He placed two cool hands on Remus’, steadying them. “I thought you were absolutely right for a second. I didn’t want to go. But Remus — Hogwarts is my favourite place. It’s where I met my real family, and discovered myself — It’s where I met you.” </p><p>Remus took a deep breath and raised his bowed head to meet Sirius’ eyes, something akin to shame but not quite it overcoming him in waves. The reluctance in agreeing ran as deep as his bones, and he could easily start a fight over this — and when they fought, it was emotional and fierce and kind of sexy — but he rolled over. </p><p>“Hogwarts was a golden time,” he began, voice thick with emotion. Horrified, he cleared his throat, but it didn’t work. “Hogwarts was a golden time, and compared to the fucking nightmare that followed right after it, it was like a dream. I still see Hogwarts like that — shrouded in mist. It’s still a haven for me. And you and I didn’t have the best childhood, but at Hogwarts, we weren’t just safe — we were the Marauders. We pulled those fucking pranks, and the parties, and we threw Wormtail into the lake. And I’m just being selfish, but I feel like if anything punctures those memories I’ll have nothing to go off anymore. Like, I’ll think of reading a book with — with Marlene, under a tree, and then I’ll remember she’s gone. And it’ll hurt so much more because Hogwarts is meant to be safe.”</p><p>Remus didn’t realised how bad he’d gotten until Sirius had to brush the tears off his face. He kept his hands there, cupping his face and smiling softly. Remus had the sudden thought that if he didn’t have Sirius, he would have gone off the rails at fifteen and been in Hell by now. </p><p>Goodness. He wanted to marry this man. </p><p>“You’re gonna remember shit,” affirmed Sirius eloquently. “And its gonna make you sad and weepy and feel like you’re being sucked into a wormhole. But we’ll have Prongs, and Lily. Wormtail will be there. Dorcas. Pomfrey,” he grinned. He’d always made fun of Remus for being so emotionally attached to the nurse. “And we’re all gonna get weepy. But,” he held up his and Remus’ clasped hands. “When we get sad, we’ll get sad together. Come back to Hogwarts with me?”</p><p> Remus mustered a watery smile, and he didn’t know whether he was going to hug Sirius or burst out crying again. The pain was still there, the grief, the loss, the fear. But, three years had passed since the war, and if Remus could sit through fifteen months of therapy with the ever-elusive Herbindia of St. Mungo’s, then he could grit his teeth and revisit some of the happiest memories of his life. Even if it was with a heavy heart. </p><p>Remus took Sirius’ other hand as well. “Yes, Sirius Black. I will go back to Hogwarts with you.” </p><p>They both coloured when it became glaringly obvious that that had sounded like a marriage proposal. </p><p>Then they jumped seven feet up and apart when the fire alarm went off, the blackened sausages in the frying pan popping and squeaking terribly as Sirius yelled at them and rushed over to the landing to deactivate it. Remus just sat down and smiled dopily at the Gryffindor scarf mounted on the wall. </p><p>---</p><p>Going back to Hogwarts without a trunk and a uniform and a couple hundred cousins on his back was fucking liberating. </p><p>Like he’d said to Moony, things would get sad and weepy. But he was still excited. He sometimes lamented the way he could never think things through and only realised everything was going to shit exactly when it happened, but he didn’t know if he could survive living the way Remus did. Like a clouded philosopher, Remus felt everything and felt it deeply, and then he analysed it and thought again about it, drew messages and lessons from his experiences. He was wise and cool. It would kill Sirius to think.</p><p>In fact, he was already feeling it when they first got onto the train. Albus had had the brilliant idea of extending the interior by a carriage and adding a mini-cafe/bar manned by house-elves. It had been described in extreme detail in their letters — perhaps serving as an incentive to return. Nevertheless, it had worked. </p><p>“Fancy a few shots from the train-bar, Prongs?” joked Sirius as he fell into the seat next to Lily and James. Only, he wasn’t joking, and he was hoping James was up for it, because Moony was right. This was terrifying and he wanted to at least be tipsy throughout the entire ordeal. </p><p>Remus and Lily placed their hands upon the idiots’ shoulders, speaking in tandem. “Absolutely fucking not.”</p><p>Well, Lily didn’t say ‘fucking’ but she had forced herself out of the habit of cursing when the ever-perceptive Harry had learned the phrase ‘Fuck me with a Firebolt’ at age two. It was more implied than anything. </p><p>The four friends chatted in their seats, making lively conversation as memories bobbed to the surface of their minds. Sirius smiled proudly when James reminded him of the time he’d stunk up the train with dung bombs on the way home in fourth year, and they’d actually to stop and evacuate so that Flitwick could Apparate over and clear out the smell. They’d reached King’s Cross at two AM that night. </p><p>James and Remus cuffed him around the head for the bother it had been. Still worth it. </p><p>“Where’re Peter, Dorcas and Mary?” spoke up Lily when Sirius had found himself in patented Potter-chokehold after a scuffle over the upcoming Quidditch finals, and Remus was sipping tea. </p><p>Remus lowered his cup, frowning. Sirius arched his neck to look at him more clearly, worried for a moment. </p><p>“He was meant to be on the train with us. Dorcas and Mary are flooing over together though — they owled me this morning.” His lips pursed together miserably. “Said they wanted a ‘late morning’. They both signed the letter by kissing it with lipstick.” </p><p>Sirius gasped with the force of his own amusement. “Merlin’s balls, you didn’t tell me about that!” He broke off into a few bouts of laughter, still trapped beneath James’ arm, while James himself used his free hand to slap his knee. Lily tried very hard to look sorry for Moony, indeed. </p><p>Remus shot quick, harmless Stinging hexes at all of them and finished off his tea when they groaned consecutively. </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>Hogwarts castle itself was almost less than what he’d prepared himself for. Remus had been ready for every memory he’d ever had to wash over him simultaneously — like every single joke James had ever told in the Great Hall would ring in Remus’ ears if he sat down there, or every single alcove where Remus and Sirius had hid themselves away to talk, and more, would stand out like beacons in his mind the second he saw them. But it was nothing like that. </p><p>It was a Monday in the middle of February, so students were simply going about their business as a bunch of sad twenty-three to twenty-four year-olds wandered about laughing and reminiscing together. For the most part, Remus stuck with his crew and was unbothered by any rogue teens. Sirius had said that if this had happened while the Marauders had been at Hogwarts, they would have been victims of a terribly grand prank by now. Remus wondered whether his boyfriend was exaggerating or whether the golden age of pranking really had just been him and his friends. </p><p>Lily was currently berating Peter for missing the train. James had joked that apparently it hadn’t been long enough since she had been Head Girl, and she’d kicked him in the shin so hard that Sirius was now using Levicorpus to drag him around. Remus had then doggedly reminded James that he himself had been Head Boy. </p><p>“Listen, I’m sorry, it is quite a long way from Norwich to to King’s Cross, you know!” Peter soothed, but Lily crossed her arms, unimpressed. </p><p>“You were always late to the train, to and from Hogwarts. And you were late to class. You were even late to our wedding!” </p><p>Remus snorted and nearly dropped James from where he taken up the Levicorpus work. James shook his head quickly and Remus let him down. Apparently he was just fine with walking when there was an opportunity he would be dropped otherwise. The group was currently meandering around the castle’s corridors, pointing out various paintings or windows that were different or exactly the same. </p><p>Sirius pulled on Remus’ robe for a second, and Remus turned with a question on lips that died as fast as it came. Sirius was nodding towards one of the tapestries with a coy smile on his face, and Remus was suddenly quite aware of all the tiny students around them (Okay, to be fair they were all sixteen or over since this was their free period — but Remus still felt like this was not something to be discussed in front of them). </p><p>“Yes,” hissed Remus, “Yes, I remember that’s where we first — no,” he narrowed his eyes as Sirius grinned even wider and checked to see that their group had moved forward enough. “No, no, no, Padfoot, I’m not hiding behind that tapestry with you — !“</p><p>Sirius whistled absently for a moment before he clapped a hand over poor Remus’ mouth and pulled him over, bodily shoving him into the spacey knook hidden by the tapestry’s front. </p><p>The place still smelled like a scandal, and Remus’ cheeks pinked despite himself when Sirius himself entered after a moment. They’d filled out around the back and shoulders since they’d been seventeen, but neither of them had grown any taller, so, much of a shock as it was, the space was still a comfortable fit for both of them. </p><p>Remus wasn’t expecting the memory of the first time they’d fucked to pop up so randomly. It was so sudden that Remus had to wheeze and blink it back before he did something foolish, like grab Sirius and — </p><p>There were lips on his and a warm weight in his lap, and it was soft and warm and familiar and he knew Sirius was putting pressure on his crotch on purpose but he really didn’t fucking care. Because they were alone, <i>and you were only seventeen once </i>— </p><p>Circe’s fucking tits! They weren’t seventeen — and there were actual students ten feet away from the tapestry!  </p><p>“Pads!” tried the taller of the two, but the sound was muffled and swallowed by Sirius’ mouth. He just hummed quietly and Remus nearly gave into the temptation that was this stupid fucking biker. </p><p>“Pads!” he gasped, pulling away forcefully and making Sirius whine. </p><p>“They’ll hear us!” </p><p>“There’s a silencing charm, you twat. I’m not an idiot.”</p><p>“Hmm. Right.” Remus shielded himself against the very predictable punch to the stomach with ease. </p><p>Sirius huffed and sat back. “C’mon man. For old times’ sake?”</p><p>“Shagging in public for ‘old times’ sake’ is a stretch, Sirius.” </p><p>Sirius grumpily blew a lock of hair out of his eyes (Never once, in the entirety of the time Remus had known him, had Sirius ever had it cut anywhere above his ears) and crossed his arms. It seemed he was finally seeing sense. </p><p>“We don’t have to shag, Moony,” he seemed to be compromising of all things, and Remus was very suspicious. “Just…” he purposely lidded his eyes and leaned forward to cup Remus’ jaw. </p><p>Remus swallowed. Sirius Black was all-too gorgeous, and all-too aware of the effect that had on his partner. </p><p>Remus could barely muster a strangled hum before Sirius’ hand was on his hip and he was victim to a soft and unrelenting kiss again. Remus did not pride himself on being a strong resistor to temptation, and they really wouldn't have stopped for another hour if Sirius’ fingers hadn’t run over the bump in Remus’ coat pocket some fifteen minutes later. </p><p>“Moony,” he broke off croakily, and Remus nearly wanted to growl at the sound and reel him back in until he remembered to chase the wolf out of his mind. </p><p>“Pads?” </p><p>“What’s this in your pocket?” </p><p>Remus frowned, confused for a second, until he realised that stupidly, idiotically, senselessly, he’d brought the ring with him. </p><p>He’d taken to tinkering with it at night, having bought a book about how to charm jewellery to make it shimmery and magical and special, and then he’d place it on his bedside table. This, of course, caused him to sweep it into his coat pocket along with his other daily needs: reading glasses, reminder notes, pain-killers. </p><p>He’d just been carrying it everywhere except Sirius’ house. Sometimes he even brought it there. </p><p>Remus felt himself heat up in panic and embarrassment, and was very glad for the dimness the tapestry provided. “Oh — just some medicine.” </p><p>“The muggle kind? In the boxes? With the little pills?” </p><p>“Yes! Hence the box shape.” </p><p>Sirius frowned in suspicion as he peered very carefully at Remus’ face. Remus felt feverish — cold-sweaty and guilty, like he’d just been caught out after hours. </p><p>“Your eyelashes sure are fluttering a lot.” He paused. “They do that when you lie.” </p><p>“It’s a headache!” Remus gasped, practically scrabbling on a precipice over the truth. “I’m getting a headache.” </p><p>“Take a pill then.” </p><p>“They’re the stomachache kind!” </p><p>Sirius pursed his lips, but graciously let him off, and Remus sagged in relief against the cool stone at his back. </p><p>Sirius huffed and dragged a hair-tie up from his wrist, mindlessly putting his hair in a bun. Remus forced himself to look away from the curve of his neck before he did something stupid again. “Mrs. Prongs is probably having an aneurysm, we’ve been gone for so long.” </p><p>“She’ll be having an aneurysm once I tell her you called her that again.” Remus proceeded to fall out of the tapestry before Sirius could take a swipe at him, then sprinted up the now-empty halls away from one very vengeful, but also very amused boyfriend. </p><p>--- </p><p>Sirius waved goodbye to Lily and James as they stepped into the green flames of Minerva’s fireplace. Himself, Peter, Dorcas and Mary would leave on the train, at seven, but the young parents had to get home before Tonks the babysitter became Tonks the baby-enabler. He grinned at the thought and turned to tell Mary, who was the one usually babysitting Harry other than Sirius himself. They lingered in the professor's office entrance for a few minutes, laughing about how every other time they’d been in here, it had been to receive detention. </p><p>“I always used to think,” started Sirius, lounging in one of the big, leather seats, “That Moony should have been in Ravenclaw. Know why? Even though he was always with us after hours, pulling pranks and shit, he never got caught.”</p><p>"Not to mention his grades," added Mary, raising an eyebrow at him. She was leaning by the fire and trying to make shapes in the flames. "Despite the fact he was the brains of all your operations he managed to become a prefect. Did anyone ever tell James he only got Head Boy because Remus turned it down?"</p><p>Sirius winced. "That may have been my job, and I may have forgotten." </p><p>“It was so weird, about him not getting caught,” Peter lingered on the original topic, shaking his head. “Once we’d gone and bumped into a teacher in the middle of the night — can’t remember who — and without the cloak, so we all had to scatter like birds. And all of us got caught except Remus. When we got back to the dorm after being given a lecture and detention and stuff, he was just sitting on his bed and reading a book.” </p><p>“Nope,” huffed Sirius, stretching in his seat before he stood up to stretch further. “He was doing his homework, the bloody swot.” </p><p>Dorcus laughed and ran a hand through her hair. Seemed that anyone who spent enough time with James came to pick up the habit. She began to say something about Lily’s similar tendencies, but Sirius couldn’t help himself in interrupting. </p><p>“Sorry — d’you know where Remus is, actually? Train leaving in an hour and all, I feel like we should regroup.” </p><p>Peter shrugged. “He did say to go on without him and that he’d catch up.” </p><p>Sirius thought for a second, then shook his head. Remus was obviously off somewhere sulking about nostalgia, or the war, or perhaps even lycanthropy, and while Sirius knew that it was his job to give him space and privacy and reflection time, it was also his job to make sure Remus was showered in love and attention at all times of the day, no matter what his self-sacrificing ass otherwise insisted on. So Sirius saluted his friends goodbye and transformed into Padfoot. </p><p>He didn’t often use his Animagus form to track people — it always seemed too serious, and his dog form only liked fun stuff, so sometimes it endangered putting him in a bad mood. But he was tracking Moony, and Moony wouldn’t ever make him upset. So he trotted through the halls, at one point making a group of first-year Ravenclaws squeal at him and scatter. He had to stop because a Gryffindor girl wanted to shake his paw, but he was more than happy to oblige. </p><p>He found Remus at top of the Astronomy Tower. </p><p>Sirius transformed back silently, deigning to watch Remus’ back a little longer. He was doing one of his old-man things, staring up at the darkening sky and letting his lightening hair fall onto his face. Sirius could imagine his face right then — he frowned in a very particular way whenever he thought too deeply about anything. And Remus thought deeply on far too many issues, would weigh the merits of using butter or jam on his toast for four minutes before Sirius would jump him and slather on both. </p><p>But, then again, Sirius wouldn’t have Remus Lupin any other way. The overthinking, cardigan-obsessed werewolf had made up a permanent home in his heart. </p><p>“Hey,” said Sirius finally, unable to keep the silence any longer. Remus didn’t jump, but turned around with a small smile instead. “I said if we got sad, we’d get sad together.” </p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry,” he replied, turning back to the sky as Sirius joined his side by the balcony. “Did you want an invitation to the pity party?” </p><p>“Always,” joked Sirius, except it wasn’t really a joke, and Remus nodded at him and placed a hand over his on the rail. Sirius found himself appreciating the silence this time. It was less dire with Remus right beside him. </p><p><i>When we get sad, we’ll get sad together</i>, he’d said. If he closed his eyes he could remember the way Remus had looked at him, looking so helplessly out of depth with his own emotions that Sirius wanted nothing more than to bundle him up and make sure Remus knew that he was loved and it was all behind him. He couldn’t help that his stupid, improvised “Come back to Hogwarts with me?” had sounded like a proposal. Because of course Sirius had wanted to marry Remus in that moment. He always wanted to marry Remus. </p><p>It all seemed like a stupidly huge affair — the planning, the invitations, the vows, the cake. He’d be girly to want all of it. But he did, he realised. Because they couldn’t keep dating forever, and no matter how many times Sirius gave Remus puppy-dog eyes and silently asked for him to move the fuck in with him, that would only make sense if they were married. And Remus probably hated the idea of a huge reception and all that attention even more than Sirius loved it. </p><p>
  <i>But, just maybe,<i> he thought, as Remus absentmindedly played with his fingers and watched the dipping light in the distance, maybe he loved Sirius more than he would hate the party. </i></i>
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</p><p>Remus <i>would</i> like to marry Sirius. He was sure of it! It was such a rock-hard conclusion that he was ready to pitch himself over this balcony with the force of it. Remus would catch him, then, and reprimand him something terrible, and then kiss him, because Remus loved him. It was just a matter of confirming it. </p><p>“Remus,” started Sirius, his voice light and plain. </p><p>“Hm?” </p><p>“Would you marry me?” </p><p>Remus inhaled sharply and looked at Sirius like he was an illusion. He was absolutely still for a second, then gripped his hand hard, like he was afraid Sirius was going to float away or something. </p><p>His voice came out slightly strained. “Sirius. Could you repeat that, for me?” </p><p>Sirius grinned at him. “Don’t overthink it, Moony. Would you marry me?” </p><p>Remus shut his eyes and sighed, apparently going through so many different emotions he couldn’t even remember what it was to breathe. “Would I? Would I marry you? Why, Pads, of course I would. Of course I bloody would. Is this… hypothetical?” </p><p>Sirius groaned and pressed the flats of his palms to his eyes. “Oh, <i>Moony</i>, it’s obviously not hypothetical! I’m so, so sorry I don’t have a ring, and if that’s what would make it official for you then I will get you the best fucking —” </p><p>“Padfoot,” whispered Remus, shutting the other up quite efficiently. “Here.” And then, as usual, Remus Lupin did the unthinkable, and pressed a velvety blue box into Sirius’ hand. </p><p>Sirius gawked down at it. “Is this…”</p><p>Remus nodded. “It was for you, and I was thinking about how to ask you for ages, but since you beat me to it, in the end…” </p><p>Sirius just smiled at him, and when Remus smiled back it turned into a full-blown grin. Ecstatic, feeling like this was the best impulsive decision he’d ever made, Sirius stepped back and got down on one knee. Remus snorted and then covered his mouth. “Sirius! Don’t tell me you’re actually going to —” </p><p>“Hush, my love,” grinned Sirius, before quickly wiping his expression and looking up solemnly. “Remus Lyall Moony Lupin, would you do me the honour of becoming my husband?” Sirius held up the small box and pulled it open. It occurred to him that this ring was supposed to be for himself, and didn’t even know what it looked like, and this was all very stupid, but he still couldn’t stop himself from bubbling over with happiness when Remus’ embarrassed hand fell from his face and he replied with a simple “Yes.” </p><p>Sirius stood back up and slipped the beautiful gold ring onto Remus’ finger. There were small, glittering black gems that lined the very edge of it, and when Sirius asked Remus to hold it to the little light left in the sky, the gems melted together to form the tiny image of a dog, padding around the ring. </p><p>“We’ll have to share this ring,” Sirius muttered in awe. “It’s almost like it was made for me.”</p><p>Remus rolled his eyes and kissed him hard.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>let this be the happy beginning of my writing career on ao3! initially, this was to be written and uploaded on wolfstar day, the 20th of august, but that was nine whole days ago and i feel like a real fuckwit now so. oh well. i hope you enjoyed :)</p><p>my twitter is @uncoverhallows if you would like to reach out for whatever reason</p></blockquote></div></div>
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